Am I unhealthy? BMI says I'm obese..

I'll start out by saying that I'm a 23 year old female, 5'3", and 171lbs. According to my BMI, I'm "obese", which is honestly kind of crazy to me. About a year ago, I weighed 205 lbs, rarely worked out, and ate whatever I wanted. But then I started working out a ton, watching what I ate (for the most part), and that's how I lost the weight. I'm even studying for my group fitness instructor certification!
I've gained a lot of muscle too (at least I think, I feel stronger and have more noticeable definition) since I've been doing a lot of strength training - Metcon, Olympic weight training, things like that.

I have no known health issues either. I'm definitely not "thin" and do have some excess fat around my thighs/hips, but I don't think I look obese like my BMI says I am. I know BMI is very controversial, and you need to take muscle into account. But even so, it seems like 171 is still high for someone my height. And it's not like I'm a bodybuilder or anything lol.
However, even my mom, who's a physician, and who has commented on my weight my whole life (part of the reason I've had eating disorders, but that's another story lol) has told me that it doesn't look like I need to lose any weight despite my weight. And this is coming from someone who's always told me that I need to lose weight!

I guess my question is, could I still be healthy even though I'm technically "obese"? Should I still be aiming to lose weight for health reasons? I work out 5-6 days/week, and try to eat clean. I'm definitely not great at the eating part, but I've gotten SO much better than I used to be. But I'm still just confused since, for my height, I should be weighing in at around 120-140. If anyone could give me some insight, that would be great! Thank you!
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Replies

  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
    Azdak wrote: »
    There is also the question of how much “fitness” offsets the potential health risks of “fatness”. There have been studies that suggest that the higher health risks associated with obesity are as much due to the lifestyle choices made by many obese people as the extra fat itself. When you segment obese individuals by fitness level, the long-term health risks of obesity are greatly reduced, and in some studies, disappear altogether.

    It sounds like a lot of research is pointing to vo2max as an answer to the bold. Your overall fitness divided by your weight.